Floods
by screwrulenumber12
Summary: After violent floods ravish DC, Tony recieves a knock at the door. 5th and final chapter up soon!
1. Chapter 1

"With a new line of thunderous clouds making their way in from the east, these storms look only set to get worse."

"Fantastic", Tony muttered to himself, staring out of his first floor window as lashings of rain hammered the ground and anything that stood in its way in an ever-violent fashion.

"..Weather warnings are now in place throughout the tri-state area, so if you're going out on the roads, stay safe folks.." Tony turned off the TV with a click of a remote. He stands up, groaning slightly from the pain radiating in his upper back and starts to walk to his bedroom, whistling an old Sinatra favourite.

Suddenly, he is interrupted by a fierce knock on the door. Confused, Tony checks the time; 12:47am. Who could possibly be knocking at this hour? He ponders, crossing the room to reach the front door. He stops just short of it, and peers through the peephole. Standing on the other side of the door is Ziva, Tony's partner.

Without hesitation, Tony pulls open the door. "Tony, I am so sorry to come round at such a late hour, but my building is flooded and I was wondering if.." Ziva stopped short of finishing her sentence when she noticed her partner trying to suppress a smile. "Come on in, Ziva" Tony says to her, unsure of what she had been saying to him as he had been completely mesmerised by her; her long flowing locks soaking wet, with curls escaping at the ends, pyjama bottoms decorated with sheep dragging on the floor, stained by rain, and the way that the hallway light was hitting her face at just the _perfect_ angle. He had never seen Ziva look so beautiful. "Yes," Ziva interrupted Tony's daydream, "I shall take the couch. I do not wish to intrude."

"Of course you aren't, I'm glad to have you!" Tony replies in an overly cheerful manner. "Hey, why don't you pick a movie while I fetch you some bedding and clean PJ's?"

"OK" Ziva smiles, as Tony exists into his bedroom.

* * *

When Tony returns, he finds Ziva fast asleep, curled up on the floor in front of his expansive DVD collection. Ziva snores slightly, and Tony chuckles as he remembers the first time he found out about her snoring. He found it hard to believe that it was seven years ago, although they had come so far since then. Wincing as he bent to the ground, Tony lifted Ziva into his arms and carried her gently to his bedroom, placing her under the covers. As Tony was changing for bed, Ziva opened one tired eye, "Thank you for letting me stay with you" she sleepily mumbled.

"Of course." Tony replied, turning to face her as he pulled on an Ohio state buckeyes shirt. "What are friends for? Alright, I'll sleep on the couch. G'night!"

"Do not be silly Tony, just get into bed. I would not want you to injure your back anymore than you already evidently have." Ziva said, now slightly more awake. After a few seconds of protest, Tony relented, blushing slightly as he lay down in bed next to Ziva. Suddenly very self conscious, Tony pulled the covers tight around him. On the spur of the moment, Tony put his large arm around Ziva's slender shoulder, and breathed a sigh of relief as she lifts her head slightly, replacing it on his chest. Tony pulls her closely to him.

* * *

"NO! No! Get off me! Please do not hurt me!" Tony woke with a start upon hearing his partner's cries. He opened his eyes slightly, and found Ziva with her head still on his chest, although her face was now contorted with fear as she slept. "Hey, Zee, shh, it's alright" Tony whispered into her ear. "I'm here."

"Tony? I thought I was there. In Somalia, with him." Ziva didn't open her eyes.

"No you're not Ziva. You're safe here, with me. You don't need to be scared."

"I am sorry. That I have never spoken to you about what happened. I hope you understand that it is.. difficult for me."

"You don't need to explain your..."

"I do." Ziva interrupted, "You travelled to the other side of the world in order to save me, the woman who had almost killed you! And I have never once offered any explanation of my actions, or what I went through out there." Ziva took a long hesitant breath. "He hurt me, Tony. He really hurt me. And all that kept me going was the thought of all of you back home. Especially you, knowing that I could not die without telling you how sorry I was, and how much I regretted getting involved with Rivkin. The truth is, I have never felt like I had a safe place to land before, and now I realise I have one. With you."

"You don't offer me any kind of explanation, Zee." Tony started, when he saw his partner was consumed with tears, "I'd do anything for you, I'd travel to the moon and back if I knew it would make you happy. So don't you ever, ever, _ever _feel guilty about what you did. The only people who should feel like that are Rivkin and Saleem for what they did to you. If you ever have a dream like that again, no matter how late it is, I want you to call me, and I will come straight over and make you feel better. 'Kay?"

"O..Okay. Thank you, Tony. I do not know what I would have done without you these past few years. I owe my life you, and I will never forget that."

* * *

**Thankyou so much for reading! Sorry it's so short, this is the first fanfic I've ever written and I want to make it good! Let me know what you think :)**

**The next chapter will hopefully be up in the next few days!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! First off, thank you all so so much for reading chapter 1 of Floods, and for the reviews that I got :) I'll try to keep uploading as quickly as possible, but for the moment here's Chapter 2 :)**

* * *

Tony woke slowly, feeling dazed and confused as he tried to remember the night before. He turned his head to check the time on his alarm clock; 10am. "Crap" he said under his breath, he was supposed to be at work for 7:30, and Gibbs was going to head-slap him into the next century. A groan suddenly came from the lump on Tony's chest under the covers, that he'd only just became aware of. He started to recall things from the night before, flashes. _The storm. Ziva, turning up at his door. Her hurt as she told him all her secrets. How angelic her face looked as she slept. _Tony pulled the covers down to reveal his partner's face resting softly on his chest. Her dark brown curls cascading over him, and her smooth skin looking so gorgeous that it took all of Tony's will power not to bend down and kiss her, there and then.

His innate longing for Ziva had been burning inside him for as long as he could remember. He had always dismissed it, "Pull yourself together, Anthony. She's just a girl, get over her already." But that was the thing; as much as he tried, he couldn't get Ziva out of his head. He came so close to telling her in Tel Aviv, after the incident with Rivkin. Seeing her anger at him that day, how betrayed she looked, he knew that he wouldn't be able to tell her for a long time, not if he wanted his feelings to be reciprocated. After rescuing Ziva from Somalia, he tried as hard as he could to be a good partner to her, a good friend. For the months between Somalia and Paris, he could see that their relationship was far too fragile to survive any spontaneous declarations of love. He did though, love her. Sitting in bed with her head on his chest, he realised that he wouldn't be able to hide it for much longer.

* * *

"Tony?" He jumped slightly as his partner called out his name, sitting up and leaving his chest cold where she used to lie.

"Morning sunshine. It's 10am, we need to get up."

"What?! Gibbs is going to kill us!"

"Hey," Tony interrupted, "I'll just call him and tell him my car broke down, it'll be fine!" Tony smirked at Ziva's panic as she searched for something, _anything_, of Tony's that she could pass off as her own. As Ziva continued to rant and rush around, Tony checked his phone for messages. 7 texts; 5 from McGee and 2 from Abby.

"Why didn't you wake me? And WHY didn't you have your alarm on? We're going to be in so much trouble, and Gibbs has already been snagging me to get my cases written up..."

"It's nagging, not snagging, Zee. And if you'd just be quiet for a minute! McGee's sent me a text saying not to bother coming in, the flooding's got worse and there's not much we'd be able to get done today. So calm down, and come back to bed for a while, we have nowhere better to be." Tony smiled to himself at the situation he found himself in. He had Ziva all to himself for the day, possibly longer. He silently thanked the weather for being so unpredictable, and promised never to complain when it rained again.

* * *

A few hours later, Tony again awoke, this time to the smell of pancakes and the sound of the shower running. He put a pair of jeans on over his black boxers, and exited his bedroom. As he did, he heard the faint sound of Ziva singing a sweet, soft Hebrew song in the shower. Tony smiled, but walked away quickly, feeling as though it was an invasion of privacy to listen, and knowing that Ziva would use a paperclip on him if she knew he had been listening.

Entering the kitchen, Tony saw a plate of pancakes set in the middle of the table, with a smaller plate in front of each of the two chairs. A coffee had been brewed in the pot, and 2 mugs were on the kitchen counter. The whole apartment appeared to have been cleaned from top to bottom, and the curtains had been pulled wide open in a vain attempt to let some light in, even though it still appeared to be getting darker outside as the rain continued to hammer down. Tony bent down to smell the pancakes. "Mmmm, I could get used to this." Tony said to himself.

"You better not, you are on lunch duty!" Tony jumped, and turned around to see Ziva standing in the doorway. Her hair was ringing wet, and she was wearing nothing but a towel. Tony tried not to moan out loud.

"Thanks for this, but you didn't have to,"

"Do not be stupid, you have been so kind letting me stay with you, I needed a way to repay the favour." Ziva entered the room and poured herself a coffee while Tony reached up to get the syrup. As they both moved their arms, their elbows brushed against each other. Electricity ran all the way through Tony's body, and he wondered that, if even for a second, Ziva felt it too.

Nervous, Tony turned too quickly and tripped up, falling backwards onto Ziva.

"Oops, heh heh, need to be more careful"

"Yes, you seem to be very clumsy lately Tony. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine as can be!" Tony smiled as he sat down, "So, mon Ziva, what's the plan for today? Shopping for some clothes for you? A jog?"

"Maybe you have not been keeping up with current events, but we just got.."

"Our asses kicked, pal!" Tony chuckled at Ziva's unintentional movie quote, "Sorry, carry on!"

"It has been raining for days, and we just got yet another storm warning. The news said that the best thing to do is to stay inside and keep safe."

"Alright, alright. How about.. ooh a movie night! Well, more like movie day really isn't it, although you wouldn't think so looking outside would you? It might turn into a movie night though, depending on.."

"Tony! A movie day sounds great." Ziva interrupted him, Tony thankful that she had stopped him rambling.

* * *

Half an hour later, Tony and Ziva settled on Tony's couch with a blanket over them, 2 large bowls of popcorn and a 6 pack of beer. Tony had the first pick of movie, and had surprised Ziva by choosing Breakfast At Tiffany's.

"I assumed that you would have picked an action film, or at least something starring Jack Nicholson" said Ziva, smiling at Tony. His heart skipped a beat.

"Well what can I say, sweetheart, I'm full of surprises" Tony let his smile fade, spending a few seconds staring deeply into Ziva's deep brown eyes. Their stare was abruptly ended by the opening beats to Breakfast At Tiffany's blaring out of the surround sound. Ziva cleared her throat, and Tony shifted awkwardly further away from her.

After an hour of awkward silence as Tony pretended to be engrossed by the film, Ziva turned to face him. "Are you sure you are alright, Tony? You have been acting very strangely ever since I got here. I hope I am not upsetting you by just moving in like this."

"Of course you aren't, Ziva. I just have a bit of a headache, that's all. Come over here and sit with me. Please?"

Ziva moved over to Tony's side of the sofa, and Ziva lay down on the sofa, placing her head softly onto Tony's lap.

"I've missed this, you know. Us. Having movie nights, staying up 'till all hours talking." Tony started to play with Ziva's hair as he spoke, "The summer that Gibbs was gone, and we got close, was the best summer of my life Zee. I'm having a really good time with you today, and I don't want it to stop, or get interrupted, or for work or anything else to get in the way. I want this to be the new us, and I won't let anything stop it ever again."

"I am glad. I always have a good time with you, Tony."

Tony could feel Ziva smiling to herself.

* * *

**Sorry it's another short one, but I'm going to try hard to make them a lot longer in future. Thanks for reading, feel free to tell me what you think :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, thanks for the reviews and for reading! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that people are taking the time to read this, so thanks:)**

* * *

Five movies later, and Tony and Ziva lazily bring themselves to their feet and start to walk towards Tony's bed, holding onto each other for support as they did. After he was sure Ziva was asleep, curled up wearing a faded shirt of Tony's that he can't ever remember buying, he gets out of bed, walking into the living room and sitting by the window.

What was he doing? Here was a girl, a _great_ girl, who he not only liked, but loved. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her; to sit with her on rainy days like the one they'd just had, sitting outside watching the stars, cuddling for hours, knowing that they'd be together forever. Tony couldn't believe what he was thinking. This was him, Tony DiNozzo, imagining marriage and children with a real actual woman and he wanted nothing more than for it to happen. But the idea terrified him; he'd screwed up relationships before, burning his bridges forever, and he could never do that to Ziva. Their friendship was far too important to be thrown away. Staring out at the rain, realising that whatever happened they'd be living together for a while yet, Tony made the decision to keep his feelings hidden until he could tell if they were reciprocated.

He hoped to god that they were.

* * *

The next morning, both of them rose early, and were happy to see that the rain, at least for the moment, had subsided. However, the weatherman, the same one from two nights earlier, told the camera that more rain was expected, and to enjoy the next few hours while they could.

"I really need to buy some clothes today, Tony." Ziva said as they sat down to breakfast, "I cannot spend another day in your boxers and shirts, and i doubt very much that when we go back to work Gibbs will be very impressed with my attire."

"I think you look cute, like a teenager after a one-night stand," Tony smirked, at his partner, who suited his clothes more than he ever could. Ziva punched him lightly on the shoulder. "But you're right, we should go shopping while the rain's stopped."

"Do you have anything I can wear to go there?"

"Well, uh, this is a little awkward, but I have something that will work. I'll be right back." Tony said, exiting the kitchen backwards and walking into the door frame as he did.

* * *

Great. How was Tony going to explain that he'd kept the dress that Ziva had worn on their first undercover assignment? It had never seemed stupid to keep it before, he liked the idea of a memento to remind him of those few days. As he took the dress of its hanger, felt the silk between his fingers, he flashed back to that first night in the hotel.

_Tony had never been more nervous about anything in his life. He had only just met this woman, and to be frank, she terrified him. Her wild eyes, her even wilder hair, and the sheer amount of weaponry that she kept secreted on her person. How was he going to survive pretending to be married to her?_

_"There's only one thing I'm interested in right now."_

_There was no backing out now, Tony though to himself. There could already be bugs set up recording the 'Ranier's', not to mention Gibbs and Jenny wanting to know their every move. Closer and closer, they inched together, both apprehensive of the other's movements. All of a sudden, their lips came crashing together. As soon as they started kissing, Tony forgot completley about the mission, their partnership and Gibbs, and kissed her with more passion as he had anyone else before. As Ziva undid the belt of the dress and let it fall around her legs, Tony tried not to gasp as he took in her beautiful figure, forever hidden beneath layers of combats and shirts._

* * *

Tony shivered at the memory; how gorgeous Ziva had been, in the dress and underneath it.

"Is that.. what I think it is?" Ziva interjected, entering Tony's bedroom and crossing over to the dresser.

"Call me sentimental, but I wanted to keep something from the first time.."

"Yes?" Ziva seemed to Tony to look almost hopeful.

"The first time I saw you naked, heh heh." Wow, Tony had blew it now. Ziva slapped him round the back of the head, and took the dress from his hands and exited into the bathroom.

* * *

Exiting his apartment building and walking out onto the street was the first time Tony appreciated just how much the rain had fallen. The road was flooded up to his ankles, and his jeans were already soaking wet. As he and Ziva started to walk down the street, he heard a clap of thunder above him.

"Oh crap. RUN!" he said to Ziva, grabbing her hand as he took off speedily down the road as the rain started to fall yet again.

Arriving at the store a few minutes later dripping in water, Tony and Ziva spluttered with childish laughter as they pushed open the door.

"Ah, Mr DiNozzo. A pleasure to see you again. Will you be needing any assistance today?" A tall, blonde, stick thin woman wearing a name badge that read "Carly" greeted Tony as he entered, flashing him a seductive smile. Tony recalled a time in this store when he had asked her out, only to be rebuffed. Clearly, she had changed her mind. So had Tony.

"Uh, hey Carly. I'm actually here to get some clothes for my.. friend, Ziva." Tony signalled to Ziva, who looked irritated next to him. "She's gonna need a whole new wardrobe."

"Well, I know what I want, just some shirts and pants for work until I can get home again." Ziva interjected, and started moving towards the left of the store where the casual clothes were. Tony grabbed her arm.

"Hey, everything's on me, and seeing as it's on me, I want to pick out some clothes for you too. You look great in skirts, so lets get some."

"Well, they are not very practical Tony.." Ziva responded, seeming not to notice the daggers that Carly was staring at her as they walked to the back of the store.

* * *

An hour later, Tony was sat on a seat opposite the changing rooms while Ziva tried on shirt after shirt. "Come on, Ziva. Just try on one skirt, for me?" Tony pleaded, hearing a sigh from the other side of the changing room.

"Alright, alright. If it will make you shut up I will try on one. But that is it."

Tony smiled to himself. Today had been a lot of fun for him, considering how much he normally hated shopping with women on his dime.

A few minutes later, Ziva exited the changing room wearing a burgundy button down shirt and a black pencil skirt that finished just above the knee. She looked awkward and nervous as she stood in front of Tony, looking past him at the mirror. "I am not sure if it suits me.."

Tony was speechless. Ziva looked absolutely beautiful and she couldn't even see it. "Flurf.." Tony said out loud, trying to form a sentence. "You look gorgeous, Ziva. I mean, just look at you! You should wear skirts more often! Seriously hot!"

Ziva hit him around the back of the head, but Tony could see her smiling at the compliments. "Thank you. But I really cannot ask you to pay for all of this for me. You have been too generous already."

"Don't be stupid," Tony gazed down at her, "There's no-one I'd rather spend it on."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, thank you so much for the reviews and the nice things you've said! Sorry it's taken me so long to upload this next chapter, I've had exams to revise for. Thanks for still reading, enjoy! :)**

**PS as a sidenote, I'm from England and so use English spellings for some words that are spelled different in other countries :)**

* * *

Waking up, it took Tony a moment to realise what day it was; what day it should have been. His mother's birthday. It was always a sore day for Tony, all of his anger and upset about his mother dying manifested itself at once. He wanted so much to be happy all of the time, for Ziva more than anything else, but today he knew he couldn't face her without being upset. He got dressed in gym clothes and took off for a run.

Looking up as he exits the block, Tony notices properly for the first time the clear skies and sunshine that have been residing over DC for the last few days. After 2 weeks of sharing both a home and their lives, Tony was really beginning to enjoy having Ziva so close. They did everything together, and he wanted it to last. So much, that he pretended not to notice when the rain stopped and the floods began to subside.

He knew that eventually, Ziva would return to her apartment and they would, most likely, return to just being friends who occasionally saw each other outside of work. Tony didn't want this, he wanted to be much more. The most you could be with another person, in fact. He resolved that at some point he would have to talk about his feelings with Ziva, but not today. Not on a day like today.

* * *

A few hours later, Tony checked his phone; 3 missed calls and a text from Ziva. "_Where are you? You were up and gone before i woke up x _" On a normal day, Tony would have spent hours analysing the significance of the kiss, and how many it would be appropriate to send back, but instead he sat down on a nearby bench and took a picture of his mother out of his pocket. She was so beautiful, very different from Tony himself as he'd grown up to look. Without his father to rely on when he was younger, his mum had became the one person he could always be with. When she died, as much as he hated to admit it to himself, he'd felt betrayed. She was the one person he thought would never leave him.

He'd spent the rest of his life since that moment with serious trust issues, and searching out anyone that reminded him of his mother. It was her resemblance to his mother that had first attracted him to EJ, and many other long haired blondes before her. He'd never, however, found the security he's so desperately sought until Ziva. After Paris, their relationship had evolved, and he knew that he could now count on her for anything.

Tony decided to return home, to speak to Ziva and also to get ready for his birthday ritual.

* * *

As Tony reached his front door, he braced himself for what was to come next. He knew Ziva would be angry with him for not letting her know where he'd gone, and Ziva angry was not something he enjoyed. He pulled the door open quietly, not wanting to irritate her any more, and was immediately greeted by Ziva flinging an arm around his neck. "I was so worried! You have been gone for hours! You could have been lying in a ditch dead for all that I knew!" Ziva used her other hand to hit him in the chest, before letting go of him. He allowed his eyes to linger on her lips for a few moments, before she sat on the couch.

"So where have you been?" Ziva asked him, "Listen to me, I sound like your wife! It is none of my business where you were, I would just appreciate some kind of notification as to where you go so that I know not to worry."

"You're right, you don't!" Tony snapped, instantly regretting it. He shouldn't vent his frustration on other people, especially Ziva. "I'm sorry, Hey" he catches her gaze, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be getting angry at you, today's just difficult for me. And I'm sorry that I didn't feel like sharing it with you either."

"We are supposed to be friends, Tony." Ziva looked hurt. "If something is upsetting you then I would like to think that you would talk to me about it, rather than running off."

"What, like you talked to me about Somalia?" Tony's voice raised, slowly turning their exchange into an argument, "It only took you FOUR YEARS to share that with me. I don't owe you anything; I travelled thousands of miles to save you when everyone else had given you up for dead! And after you treated me so badly in Tel Aviv. You nearly shot me, ME! Your partner! The one man on this planet who would do absolutely anything for you, killed a man for trying to play you, and you just threw it back in my face! I followed you round like a lovesick puppy for all of these years, never pressing you for any details, and now you have the audacity to question _me?_" Tony looked across at Ziva, and saw that she was sobbing silently. He couldn't believe what he'd been saying, and what this day had done to him. "I'm sorry, it's just today. I need to get out of here before I say any more. I didn't mean to upset you, believe me that's the last thing I'd ever want to do. I have to go, I'm sorry."

Tony grabbed a jacket and prepared to leave, his mother's picture dropping from his pocket as he moved towards the door.

* * *

Every year on his mother's birthday, Tony headed to a movie theatre downtown that played classic movies every evening. Tonight, it was playing Gone with the Wind, a cinematic masterpiece, and his mother's favourite movie. He took a seat near the back of the room and settled down. As the opening music began to play, he heard the door open. Someone was moving down the row towards him. Ziva. "I found the picture, I am sorry," she said as she sat down next to him.

Tony took her hand in the darkness.


End file.
